Bizen sake cup

This Bizen sake cup is the work of Takashi Soga, who challenges himself to capture the beauty of antiquity by recreating the same conditions under which old Bizen ware was fired. Without the use of any machinery such as electric wheels or thermometers, the piece was fired in a primitive kiln using only his own empirical knowledge. Its thick, lustrous brown surface is covered in extremely fine, mist-like sesame glaze, beautifully recreating the skin of ancient Bizen Ibe-te ware. The unique tubular form, clad in the Ibe-te surface, resembles a miniature water pitcher. While the exterior has an Ibe-te style appearance due to the bleeding of iron, the interior features a matte, non-lustrous azuki-bean color, allowing the pure quality of the clay to be appreciated as well. Signed wooden box (shiho-san style)
Diameter 5.7cm x Diameter 5.5cm x Height 5.9cm Takashi Soga was born in Tokyo in 1984. He studied under Jun Isezaki in 2009 and built his kiln in Kuguizaka, Bizen City, in 2012. He began his independent career as a potter in 2013.